An automatic drywall taper is provided. The automatic drywall taper has a securing device for securing drywall tape to the body of the taper during use. The securing device has an elongated bar which runs substantially parallel to the body of the taper. The elongated bar is spring activated to lock a hub on a bar which is attached substantially perpendicular to the body of the taper. The hub rotates thereby allowing the tape to dispense and be used on drywall. The hub has a braking mechanism which allows for the controlled release of the tape.
Drywall tapers have been around for a long time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,647 to Eccleston discloses a taper for applying tape and mastic to joints between prefabricated wall sections such as gypsum board comprising a tubular housing which holds a supply of mastic, a main drive roller mounted at the forward end of the housing which rotates by friction as it is moved along a wall and tape drive roller means operated by the main drive roller and which feeds the tape forwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,562 to Trout discloses a unitary nozzle for use in a taping apparatus. The unitary nozzle features a cradle section adjacent a tube receiving section and a flange for sealingly receiving a mastic tube. A mastic is extruded and contained along a path extending along one side of the tape and between a front and rear end of the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,121 to Ames discloses a self-contained dry wall taper has a hollow elongated body for holding mastic and supports a roll of tape with tape feeding means to deliver the tape to tape applying wheels that in turn apply it to cover a joint between two wall board sections. A piston is slidably mounted in the hollow body and is automatically moved by a mechanism actuated by the rotating wheels, as they are moved over the wall board surface, to force a layer of mastic onto the tape just prior to it being applied to the surface. Novel tape feeding and tape cutting means are actuated by a single sleeve which is moved forwardly on the hollow body to initially feed the tape into engagement with the tape applying wheels and is moved rearwardly to actuate the tape-cutting mechanism for cutting the tape. A tape creasing disc can be swung into operative position by the operator when the tape is to be applied to an inner corner of a room and it is desired to provide a median crease along the length of the tape and for forcing this crease into the room corner as the mastic and tape are applied.
However, these existing devices fail to provide an automatic drywall taper having a securing device for easily reloading and securing drywall tape to the body of the taper during use. The securing device has an elongated bar which runs substantially parallel to the body of the taper. The elongated bar is spring activated to lock a hub on a bar which is attached substantially perpendicular to the body of the taper. The hub rotates thereby allowing the tape to dispense and be used on drywall. The hub has a braking mechanism which allows for the controlled release of the tape. A need, therefore, exists for an improved automatic taper which accomplishes the controlled release of drywall tape for use on drywall.